Dual-compartment reclosable bag

ABSTRACT

A dual-compartment bag has similar front and back panels each having a pair of generally parallel and vertical longitudinal edges and top and bottom edges between respective upper and lower ends of the respective longitudinal edges. A transversely extending cross weld connects the front panel and the back panel and forms therebetween an upper compartment above the cross weld and a lower compartment below the cross weld. An upper reclosable fastener has interlocking profile strips at the top edges of the upper compartment forming an upper resealable removal opening between the front panel and the back panel giving access to the upper compartment. A lower reclosable fastener has interlocking profile strips extending in the transverse direction on the front panel at the lower compartment, at a spacing above the bottom edges, and giving access to the lower compartment.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a dual-compartment bag. More particularly this invention concerns such a bag used to store two different bulk materials, for instance foodstuffs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a dual-compartment bag in which the two compartments are accessible via reclosable fastener, thus enabling different products or portions of a matching product to be removed.

Within the scope of the invention, the dual-compartment bag can be provided for different purposes. For example, different foods, animal feed products or even other products can be contained in the two compartments.

For example, complementary foods such as different cereals can be stored in the two compartments that can then be combined with each other by the user whenever and in the desired quantity.

Another preferred application of the dual-compartment bag is to hold animal feed, it being possible to provide the usual feed in one compartment and treats in the other compartment. Moreover, it is also possible, for example, to provide an energizing feed for the morning in one compartment and a calming feed for the evening in the other.

Finally, it is also possible to store completely different products in the two compartments. For example, if food or animal feed are held in one compartment, the other compartment can also contain an accessory, toy, promotional item or the like. In this regard, the dual-compartment bag is especially suitable for promotional goods as well.

A multicompartment bag is known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,748,904 in which at least two compartments are provided in a symmetrical arrangement, the compartments opposing one another symmetrically each having a respective reclosable fastener. The multicompartment bag is provided for the space-saving storage of products, for which reason vent valves are provided for each compartment or even several compartments together. No discussion of the assembly or filling of the multicompartment bag is provided. Due to the opposite reclosable fasteners, handling is in need of improvement.

A dual-compartment bag is known from US 2009/0142006 in which the two compartments are accessible in front on a center section of the bag in a substantially symmetrical arrangement. In order to enable different fill volumes, a bottom fold can be provided in only one of the compartments.

According to U.S. Pat. No. 7,556,429, a film tube is formed that has identical reclosable fasteners at opposite ends, with two successively arranged compartments then being formed by folding over. Depending on where the film tube is folded over, compartments of different sizes can be formed. Both compartments are then each accessible from above. Depending on the filled product, the filled dual-compartment bag can be very bulky and therefore difficult to stack, store and handle.

According to US 2005/0286814, the two compartments of a dual-compartment bag are sealed by a common reclosable fastener, so that it is not possible to open the compartments separately.

According to U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,131, U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,061 and US 2015/0117798, at least two compartments of a multicompartment bag are arranged in series, and it is only possible to open them successively, compartment by compartment. The described bags are suitable, for example, for holding several portions that are to be kept fresh until consumption. Moreover, the described multicompartment bags can also be used to mix different products with each other only right before being used, or to provide a kind of sieve. No separate removal from different compartments is envisaged.

Other multicompartment bags are known from US 2002/0067865, WO 2015/014704 and WO 2014/172649.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved dual-compartment bag.

Another object is the provision of such an improved dual-compartment bag that overcomes the above-given disadvantages, in particular in which filled product can be removed selectively from one or the other of the two compartments through a respective reclosable fastener, the intention being for the dual-compartment bag to be characterized by good functional characteristics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A dual-compartment bag has according to the invention similar front and back panels each having a pair of generally parallel and vertical longitudinal edges and top and bottom edges between respective upper and lower ends of the respective longitudinal edges. A transversely extending cross weld connects the front panel and the back panel and forms therebetween an upper compartment above the cross weld and a lower compartment below the cross weld. An upper reclosable fastener has interlocking profile strips at the top edges of the upper compartment forming an upper reclosable removal opening between the front panel and the back panel giving access to the upper compartment. A lower reclosable fastener has interlocking profile strips extending in the transverse direction on the front panel at the lower compartment, at a spacing above the bottom edges, and giving access to the lower compartment.

According to the invention, the upper reclosable fastener is directly on the transversely extend upper edges, namely the top of the bag, only in the upper compartment, so that the upper reclosable fastener can be accessed from above and forms the upper removal opening between the two panels. Accordingly, one of the respective profile strips is usually also fastened to the front panel and the other profile strip to the back panel.

The lower reclosable fastener is not located on the opposite transversely extending lower edges of front and back panels of the bag but, when viewed in the longitudinal direction, in a central region of the bag body on the front or back panel. Preferably, the lower reclosable fastener is close to the cross weld or at least at a short longitudinal spacing therefrom, but always at a considerable spacing above the lower edges. The lower reclosable fastener is then accessible only through the front panel, to which end it can have, level with the lower reclosable fastener, a weakened tear line running in the transverse direction and forming a removable section extending in the transverse direction. The lower reclosable fastener is accessible at the front panel after the opening of the weakened tear line and removal of the section.

With regard to the lower compartment, the lower reclosable fastener is thus also in an upper region, so that filled product can then be removed from both compartments by a user with particular ease without having to open the respective other compartment. In particular, by virtue of the inventive arrangement of the reclosable fasteners, the dual-compartment bag also need not be turned upside down after accessing one compartment so access can be gained to the other compartment.

Accordingly, the dual-compartment bag can also be stood on its bottom, to which end a commensurate fold or even an additional floor insert or gusset can be provided at the lower edges of the front and back panels.

Both the upper reclosable fastener and the lower reclosable fastener each have two interlocking profile strips. These profile strips can have grooves, ridges, or other interlocking formations, for example. The profile strips can form a male part and a female part or also be self-lockable. Besides linear grooves, profile strips with mushroom heads that can engage behind one another when the profile strips are connected are also worthy of consideration.

The profile strips can either be pressed together by hand or operated like a slide fastener with a slide, the upper variant being referred to in practice be a zipper and the lower variant as a slide closure. Since the upper reclosable fastener is located on the bag top and provides an opening between the two panels, this reclosable fastener is also referred to as a top zipper or top slider, whereas the lower reclosable fastener is referred to as a front zipper or front slider.

To enable easy handling and filling of the dual-compartment bag, according to one preferred embodiment of the invention the profile strips of the lower reclosable fastener each have a transversely extending connecting section and transversely extending connecting lip adjacent thereto, the connecting lips both being fastened at an inner side of the lower compartment to the front panel to close it upwardly.

Particularly, in the lower reclosable fastener, the connecting lips can extend in different directions starting from the interconnected connecting sections for fastening of both of them to the front or back panel.

The dual-compartment bag can be manufactured as a premade bag in which the upper closure device is initially fastened to only one of the two panels, and the weld for forming the two compartments is not yet formed. The premade bag can then be filled from the top, the filled product first dropping to the bottom of the bag body to fill the lower compartment. The preferably permanent and transversely throughgoing cross weld is then formed so that the upper compartment and the lower compartment are separated permanently and reliably from one another. The upper compartment can then be filled in another step before the premade bag is sealed at the top after conclusion of the filling process, the reclosable fastener then being completely secured in place, preferably with a thermal weld so that each of the two profile strips is finally fastened to a respective one of the two panels. The welds are preferably formed thermally.

As already described above, the cross weld is preferably not separable, but instead is permanent so that the two compartments are then separated from one another in a reliable and permanent manner. Optionally, however, a weakened tear line can extend centrally in the weld so that the upper compartment can be separated from the lower compartment. With such an embodiment, the upper compartment can then be removed from the lower compartment and handled separately. For example, if dry dog food is kept in the lower compartment and dog treats are kept in the upper compartment, a user can selectively use the dual-compartment bag as a whole or also remove the upper compartment from the lower compartment and carry the dog treats in the separated upper compartment according to the described exemplary embodiment.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the front panel and the back panel are connected at the longitudinal edges by the longitudinally extending side gussets, thus resulting in a larger filling volume on the one hand and enabling the bag to also be set down more easily with an appropriate embodiment of the bottom on the other hand.

The side gussets preferably end at a longitudinal spacing from the transverse upper edges of the panels at the top of the bag so that the shorter side gussets can be reliably sealed. The spacing between upper ends of the side gussets and the transversely extending upper edges of the front and back panels at the bag top is typically between 5 mm and 20 mm, for example about 8 mm.

In described embodiment, the upper ends of the side gussets can be closed by welding to a connecting lip that is a component of one of the two profile strips of the upper reclosable fastener. This connecting lip is not only used to fasten the profile strip, but rather it also simultaneously brings about a tight closure of the bag body at the end of the side gussets.

The panels preferably have stiffening and reinforcing welds on their longitudinal edges. In the case of a bag body without side gussets, the welds on the longitudinal edges connect the two panels to one another. In a bag body with side gussets, the two panels are each connected at the welds to edges of the respective side gussets between them.

Both the upper reclosable fastener and the lower reclosable fastener can extend, when viewed in the transverse direction, over the entire width or only a portion of the width of the bag body. As regards the lower reclosable fastener, it is preferred if the profile strips end transversely short of the welds along the longitudinal edges so that problems arise there that might also create a danger of leakage.

As regards upper reclosable fastener, it can be advantageous in terms of the manufacturing process if the profile strips extend transversely over the entire width of the panels, it being possible for sections of the profile strips to be punched out in part, however, when there are welds on the longitudinal edges.

A multilayer film, particularly a multilayer composite film, is particularly suitable as a material for the panels and the optionally provided side gussets. In order to enable the weld and other welds to then be formed thermally, the composite film preferably has a sealing layer forming the inner surface of the bag body that is preferably made of polyolefin, particularly polyethylene, or contains this polymer at least as a substantial component. The sealing layer can also be a component of a multilayer polyethylene-film. Moreover, the composite film has an outer layer forming the outer surface of the bag body, to which end polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or also biaxially oriented polypropylene (BO-PP) are especially suitable. With the material combination described, under the effect of pressure and temperature, only the sealing layer and not the outer layer is fused, so that the outer surface of the bag body is not impaired by formation of the thermal welds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1. is a front view of the dual-compartment bag of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the bag;

FIG. 3A is a large-scale longitudinal section taken along line III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3B is a view like FIG. 3A but in an earlier production stage;

FIG. 4A is a large-scale longitudinal section taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4B is a view like FIG. 4a but in an earlier production stage.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 the bag according to the invention has a rectangular first or front panel 1, a rectangular second or back panel 2, and two folded side gussets 3 between vertical longitudinal edges of the front and back panels 1 and 2. The side gussets 3 extend in a longitudinal direction I, with longitudinal welds 4 connecting the longitudinal edges of the panels to the respective side gussets.

The dual-compartment bag is shown flattened in FIGS. 1 and 2. When the bag is filled, however, there is a greater front-to-back spacing between the panels 1 and 2 as a result of the unfolding of the side gussets, thus resulting in an enlarged filling volume.

The panels 1 and 2 are connected by a permanent cross weld 5 produced by heat-sealing and running in a transverse direction c to connect the front panel 1 directly to the back panel 2 in a center region and at the edges via the side gussets 3. The weld 5 divides the interior of the bag into a first or upper compartment 6 and a second or lower compartment 7.

FIG. 1 shows that a first or upper reclosable fastener 9 has interlocking profile strips 8 on the upper edges of the panels 1 and 2 and thus also at an upper end of the upper compartment 6. A second or lower reclosable fastener 10 with interlocking profile strips 8′ is provided on the front panel 1 immediately adjacent the weld 5 in an upper region of the lower compartment 7. The upper reclosable fastener 9 has a slide 11 with which the connecting sections 8 a of the profile strips 8 can be separated from each other or joined to each other by a sliding motion.

Additional details regarding the arrangement of the upper reclosable fastener 9 and the reclosable fastener 10 can be seen from FIGS. 3A and 4A.

Moreover, the front panel 1 and the back panel 2 are interconnected at a lower edges of the panels 1 and 2 by a bottom weld 12. Optionally, a standing base can be formed through appropriate folding or also by an inserted floor panel (not shown).

The longitudinal section of FIG. 3A shows the lower reclosable fastener 10 with its two interlocking profile strips 8′ that each have a connecting section 8 a′ and a connecting lip 8 b′. The two connecting lips 8 b′ are attached by welds to the front panel 1, the lower reclosable fastener 10 being accessible only from the front panel 1 but covered there initially by a removable section 13 that can be torn out along a weakened tear line 14 that is closed and shaped like a flattened ellipse.

FIG. 3A also shows how the thermal weld 5 separates the upper compartment 6 from the lower compartment 7.

A comparison of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3A shows that the profile strips 8′ of the lower reclosable fastener 10 end short of the longitudinal side edges of the panels 1 and 2 at a spacing from the welds 4 running in the longitudinal direction I along the longitudinal edges of the panels 1 and 2, so that making the welds 4 is not impeded by the profile strips 8′ of the lower reclosable fastener 10.

FIG. 3B shows the arrangement according to FIG. 3A in a bag that has not yet been filled and sealed, the weld 5 not yet having been created. As can also be seen in the following with reference to FIG. 4B, the premade bag can be filled from above, with the lower compartment 7 being filled first, whereupon the weld 5 is made and then the upper compartment 6 is filled and finally the upper end of the bag is closed.

A comparison of FIGS. 1 and 2 shows how the side gussets 3 end at a spacing from the transversely extending upper edge of the front panel 1 at the top of the bag, the spacing typically being between 5 mm and 20 mm, for example 8 mm. The spacing is selected such that the ends of the side gussets 3 are covered by a connecting lip 8 b of the front profile strip 8 of the upper reclosable fastener 9 and can thus be welded closed there.

In contrast, the connecting lip 8 b of the other profile strip 8 is attached to inner face of the back panel 2 at its upper edge by a thermal weld, so that the upper reclosable fastener 9 forms a reclosable removal opening between the front panel 1 and the back panel 2.

Putting aside the fact that only the upper reclosable fastener 9 is provided with a slide 11 in the illustrated embodiment, the structural differences and the different functionality of the upper reclosable fastener 9 and lower reclosable fastener 10 can clearly be seen by comparing FIGS. 3A and 4B. Unlike the upper reclosable fastener 9, the lower reclosable fastener 10 is accessible only from the front panel 1. Accordingly, the upper reclosable fastener 9 can also be referred to as a top slider and the lower reclosable fastener 10 as a front zipper.

The upper compartment 6 and the lower compartment 7 can be opened by a user separately from one another as needed, and a portion of the filled product contained in each can be removed from them.

Optionally, the upper compartment and the lower compartment can also be separated from each other, to which end a weakened tear line 15 then runs centrally in the weld 5 so that the upper compartment 6 can be separated at the center of the weld 5 from the lower compartment 7. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A dual-compartment bag comprising: similar front and back panels each having a pair of generally parallel and vertical longitudinal edges and top and bottom edges between respective upper and lower ends of the respective longitudinal edges; a transversely extending cross weld connecting the front panel and the back panel and forming therebetween an upper compartment above the cross weld and a lower compartment below the cross weld; an upper reclosable fastener having interlocking profile strips at the top edges of the upper compartment and forming an upper reclosable removal opening between the front panel and the back panel giving access to the upper compartment; and a lower reclosable fastener having interlocking profile strips extending in the transverse direction on the front panel at the lower compartment, at a spacing above the bottom edges, and giving access to the lower compartment.
 2. The dual-compartment bag defined in claim 1, further comprising: respective longitudinally extending side gussets connecting the longitudinal edges of the front panel to the longitudinal edges of the back panel.
 3. The dual-compartment bag defined in claim 2, wherein the side gussets end at a spacing from the upper edges of the panels.
 4. The dual-compartment bag defined in claim 3, wherein at least one of the profile strips of the upper reclosable fastener has a connecting section and a connecting lip adjacent thereto, and upper ends of the side gussets are closed by the connecting lip.
 5. The dual-compartment bag defined in claim 1, wherein the front panel has a weakened tear line forming a removable section level with the lower reclosable fastener, the lower reclosable fastener being accessible on the front panel after removal of the section.
 6. The dual-compartment bag defined in claim 1, characterized in that one of the reclosable fasteners has a slide for connecting and separating the respective profile strips.
 7. The dual-compartment bag defined in claim 1, wherein the panels have welds on the longitudinal edges.
 8. The dual-compartment bag defined in claim 7, wherein the profile strips of the lower reclosable fastener end transversely short of the welds.
 9. The dual-compartment bag defined in claim 1, wherein the profile strips of the lower reclosable fastener each have a connecting section and a connecting lip adjacent thereto and the connecting lips are both attached at the front panel to an inner face of front panel in the lower compartment.
 10. The dual-compartment bag defined in claim 9, wherein, in the lower reclosable fastener, the connecting lips extend longitudinally oppositely from the interconnected connecting sections.
 11. The dual-compartment bag defined in claim 1, wherein the cross weld is formed with a transversely throughgoing weakened tear line along which the upper compartment can be separated from the lower compartment.
 12. The dual-compartment bag defined in claim 1, wherein the panels are each made of a multilayer composite film that has at least one outer layer forming an outer surface of the respective panel and a weldable layer forming an inner surface thereof. 